Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 86

This morning’s psalm is a great one to pray through. It is a prayer of David, the only Davidic psalm in the third book of psalms we find. It begins with a desperate plea.

Psalm 86:1

Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me; For I am afflicted and needy.

The more I study God’s Word, the more I see how afflicted and needy I am. Jeremiah 17:9 says that “The heart is more deceitful than all else. And is desperately sick.” Through the years I have called myself a Christian, I have asked the Holy Spirit to reveal my own sinfulness and He has. I know the thoughts in my mind and I know they have their genesis in a sick heart. How about you? Have you murdered people in your thoughts? Jesus says that if we look upon others with even a twinge of anger for them, we have murdered them. How about lust? Do you ever want what others have? That is coveting. No, most of us have never shot hundreds of people or even one, but that does not change the contempt we hold for them, even if it merely resides within the dark recesses of our minds. We are afflicted and needy.

Psalm 86:2
Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.

That verse confuses some. Was David a sinner in desperate need? Or was he a godly man? David is not pleading with God on the basis of his own righteousness and godly nature; he is pleading with God on the basis of the covenant relationship they have together. The spiritual application here for us is simple. If we are in Christ, we are covered by His blood and thus we can approach God’s throne as if we were just as Holy as Jesus. Thus, we can pray boldly in the name of Christ.

Psalm 86:3-5
 Be gracious to me, O Lord, For to You I cry all day long.  Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.  For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

As David does here, we must cry to God all day long, seeking His grace and His mercy.

Psalm 86:6-10
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And give heed to the voice of my supplications!  In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.  There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours.  All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name.  For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.

Like David, we must praise God for who He is. Worship and praise must be our posture when we pray. We must hold the posture of complete humility, admitting that He alone, is God. Left to our own devices we will fail. We must call upon Him.

Psalm 86:11-13
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.  I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.  For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

This is what we need to pray for. We need God to teach us, to unite our heart to fear Him, to give thanks, and to bring glory to God and God alone.

Psalm 86:14
O God, arrogant men have risen up against me, And a band of violent men have sought my life, And they have not set You before them.

David lived often in danger and Christians live in a world set against them, as well.

Psalm 86:15-16
But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.  Turn to me, and be gracious to me; Oh grant Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your handmaid.

Cry out to God. We cannot pray for God to be gracious to us on our own merit; it must be on the basis of His good name. It must be on the basis of the covenant of Jesus, sealed with the blood of Christ.

Psalm 86:17
Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

God has, God does, and God will show us a sign of His love. That sign is Jesus.

Read through Psalm 86. Then pray through it. Ask God to show you a sign. Ask God to show you Jesus. He will. Jesus, Himself has promised this to those who seek Him. I close with the very words of the Great Shepherd.

Matthew 11:28-29
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Come to Jesus. You the need the rest for your soul.